Statistics Canada has kicked off a nationwide recruitment drive for roughly 32,000 temporary positions to support the 2026 Census—and, for the first time, foreign nationals holding valid Canadian work permits are explicitly eligible. A posting released on 25 January details openings for enumerators (C$25.87/hr) and crew leaders (C$31.32/hr), with contracts running from March through July in most regions. Hiring will begin in March for supervisory staff and in May for enumerators, with early deployments to remote northern communities in February.(cicnews.com)
The move is significant for global-mobility managers because crew-leader roles fall under NOC 12113 (TEER 2). That means hours worked can count toward the Canadian Experience Class pathway under Express Entry, allowing foreign specialists who take supervisory census roles to bank up to 660 of the 1,560 hours of skilled experience needed for permanent residence. Enumerators (NOC 14110, TEER 4) will not earn Express Entry credit, but the jobs can still extend open-work-permit status and broaden Canadian networks.
Prospective applicants who need to secure or extend Canadian status ahead of the 2026 Census can streamline that paperwork through VisaHQ. The firm’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) walks users through the exact steps for obtaining work permits, visa extensions, and travel documents, making it easier for foreign nationals to arrive job-ready for short-term federal contracts like these census roles.
![Statistics Canada Opens 32,000 Census Jobs to Work-Permit Holders, Creating New PR Pathway]()
Eligibility is straightforward: candidates must be citizens, permanent residents or work-permit holders, live in Canada, be over the age of majority in their province and provide two references. Statistics Canada will conduct security screening and mandatory paid training. The application form takes about ten minutes to complete, and the agency has set a submission deadline of 31 July 2026.
For employers, the census surge offers both opportunities and challenges. On the upside, temporary foreign workers can gain supplemental income and Canadian leadership experience without jeopardising main assignments. On the downside, the four-month window overlaps with summer production cycles; HR teams may need to adjust scheduling if key staff take evening or weekend census shifts.
Immigration advisers recommend that globally-mobile employees keep pay stubs and job-description records to prove skilled-work hours for future PR applications. They also caution that the census contract alone is too short to meet Express Entry requirements—workers will still need complementary Canadian experience—but it can be a strategic “top-up.” With Canada targeting a record 485,000 new permanent residents in 2026, every qualifying hour counts.
The move is significant for global-mobility managers because crew-leader roles fall under NOC 12113 (TEER 2). That means hours worked can count toward the Canadian Experience Class pathway under Express Entry, allowing foreign specialists who take supervisory census roles to bank up to 660 of the 1,560 hours of skilled experience needed for permanent residence. Enumerators (NOC 14110, TEER 4) will not earn Express Entry credit, but the jobs can still extend open-work-permit status and broaden Canadian networks.
Prospective applicants who need to secure or extend Canadian status ahead of the 2026 Census can streamline that paperwork through VisaHQ. The firm’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) walks users through the exact steps for obtaining work permits, visa extensions, and travel documents, making it easier for foreign nationals to arrive job-ready for short-term federal contracts like these census roles.
Eligibility is straightforward: candidates must be citizens, permanent residents or work-permit holders, live in Canada, be over the age of majority in their province and provide two references. Statistics Canada will conduct security screening and mandatory paid training. The application form takes about ten minutes to complete, and the agency has set a submission deadline of 31 July 2026.
For employers, the census surge offers both opportunities and challenges. On the upside, temporary foreign workers can gain supplemental income and Canadian leadership experience without jeopardising main assignments. On the downside, the four-month window overlaps with summer production cycles; HR teams may need to adjust scheduling if key staff take evening or weekend census shifts.
Immigration advisers recommend that globally-mobile employees keep pay stubs and job-description records to prove skilled-work hours for future PR applications. They also caution that the census contract alone is too short to meet Express Entry requirements—workers will still need complementary Canadian experience—but it can be a strategic “top-up.” With Canada targeting a record 485,000 new permanent residents in 2026, every qualifying hour counts.
